Seven Locks with Goldberry, the River Daughter.

Monday 15th July 2019 near Quorn.
We let go early, as we have found that we rather like these early starts.
Soon after, we passed MGM Boats and the slipway that, three years ago, MM was pulled up to fix her broken rudder. Happily, no problems this time!

This appears to be a pusher tug under renovation, but it looked just like a real life version of a child's bath toy. Very comical - it looked so out of place on the river!

We had just filled the first lock and were about to close the gates when, to our delight, we saw another boat coming up behind us. Not only does sharing locks save water but it makes going through the locks much easier and we have seven locks to do today.
The other boat turned out to be another Tolkein themed boat, nb "River Daughter" named after Tom Bombadil's wife: Goldberry, the River Daughter.

Such a fitting name for a narrowboat. The signwriting on the bow included "gold berries" in honour of her name.

We shared all seven locks today with Philippa and "PJ" and a lovely couple they turned out to be. They recently moved on to River Daughter full time and were on the way to the top of the Erewash canal where their new butty is being launched on Saturday as a shell. They plan to fit it out themselves with a back cabin and the front part will be a workshop for PJ. They will then travel the canals with PJ working as a mobile craftsman.
Mountsorrel has been a centre for granite quarries for hundreds of years. The granite used to be shipped by boat but, in 1860, this huge and very attractive bridge was built to take a conveyor belt which carried the granite to the railway line east of the river.

Most of the locks on the Soar are fairly shallow, but not Barrow Lock.

Next to the lock was posted a rather nice little poem, a nod to the former working boatmen.

It is three years since we came this way and we had forgotten how beautiful is this stretch of waterway.

But we hadn't forgotten the excellent café at Pillings Marina. We parted company with River Daughter and turned into the marina for some afternoon tea.

We found a lovely mooring just a few hundred yards from the marina. The main railway line from St Pancras to Sheffield runs alongside the canal just fifty yards away but we never mind the sound of trains.

We were treated to a lovely sunset.

And, later in the evening, to the rising of the full moon reflected in the river.

Today: 8 miles, 7 locks and 4.7 hours.
Trip: 168 miles, 89 locks and 104.5 hours.